Vehicle-Occupant Alert System

ABSTRACT

The techniques of this disclosure relate to a vehicle-occupancy alert system. The system includes a controller circuit configured to receive occupant data from an occupancy-monitoring sensor configured to detect a presence of one or more objects inside a vehicle. The controller circuit is also configured to determine whether an operator of the vehicle has exited the vehicle based on the occupant data. The controller circuit is also configured to determine based on the occupant data that the one or more objects remain inside the vehicle for a time exceeding a first threshold after the operator has exited. The controller circuit is also configured to output an alert indicating the one or more objects remain inside the vehicle when the time exceeds the first threshold. The system can improve passenger safety by alerting the vehicle operator that a child remains in the vehicle unattended before the operator moves away from the vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/137,066, filed Dec. 29, 2020, which claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/957,423, filed Jan.6, 2020, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties herein.

BACKGROUND

Outside temperatures can create an unsafe environment inside anunattended vehicle, sometimes killing or injuring people and animals(e.g., children and pets) left inside. Many of the injuries and deathsare caused by heat trauma from temperatures in excess of thirty degreesCelsius inside the vehicle when vehicle windows are closed. Injuries ordeaths can also be caused by leaving occupants unattended in the vehicleunder cold conditions, for example, when outside temperatures are belowfreezing. Many municipalities try to prevent this issue by enacting lawsthat make it illegal to leave an unattended child or pet in a vehicle,and some vehicle manufacturers have installed systems that detect apresence of an object in a rear seat and remind a driver to look in therear seat before exiting the vehicle. Once the driver exits the vehicle,however, the driver is responsible to remember that the occupants orobjects remain in the vehicle.

In addition to the tragic situations that may result from leaving achild or pet in an unattended vehicle, certain food or medical items canspoil or freeze if forgotten for long in hot or cold temperatures. Forexample, when a driver returns from a grocery store and forgets toretrieve a bag of groceries or medicine from the rear seat of thevehicle, its contents may spoil or freeze before the driver remembersand returns to retrieve the bag from the rear seat.

SUMMARY

This document describes one or more aspects of a vehicle-occupant alertsystem. In one example, the system includes a controller circuitconfigured to receive occupant data from an occupancy-monitoring sensorconfigured to detect a presence of one or more objects inside a vehicle.The controller circuit is also configured to determine whether anoperator of the vehicle has exited the vehicle based on the occupantdata. The controller circuit is also configured to determine, based onthe occupant data, that the one or more objects remain inside thevehicle for a time exceeding a first threshold after the operator hasexited the vehicle. The controller circuit is also configured to outputan alert indicating the one or more objects remain inside the vehiclewhen the time exceeds the first threshold.

In another example, a method includes receiving, with a controllercircuit, occupant data from an occupancy-monitoring sensor configured todetect a presence of one or more objects inside a vehicle. The methodalso includes determining, with the controller circuit, whether anoperator of the vehicle has exited the vehicle based on the occupantdata. The method also includes determining, based on the occupant data,with the controller circuit, that the one or more objects remain insidethe vehicle for a time exceeding a first threshold after the operatorhas exited the vehicle. The method also includes outputting an alert,with the controller circuit, indicating the one or more objects remaininside the vehicle when the time exceeds the first threshold.

This summary is provided to introduce aspects of a vehicle-occupantalert system, which is further described below in the DetailedDescription and Drawings. For ease of description, the disclosurefocuses on vehicle-based or automotive-based systems, such as those thatare integrated on vehicles traveling on a roadway. However, thetechniques and systems described herein are not limited to vehicle orautomotive contexts but also apply to other environments where camerascan be used to detect objects. This summary is not intended to identifyessential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended foruse in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The details of one or more aspects of a vehicle-occupant alert systemare described in this document with reference to the following drawings.The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference likefeatures and components:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a vehicle-occupant alert system;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example occupancy-monitoring sensor isolated fromthe example of the vehicle-occupant alert system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the vehicle-occupant alert system ofFIG. 1 installed on a vehicle where the driver has exited the vehicleleaving a child in the vehicle;

FIG. 4 illustrates another example of the vehicle-occupant alert systemof FIG. 1 installed on the vehicle where the driver has exited thevehicle and receives a notification;

FIG. 5 is an example flow chart of an example logic flow performed by acontroller circuit of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates another example of the vehicle-occupant alert systemof FIG. 1 installed on a vehicle where the driver has exited the vehicleleaving a package in the vehicle;

FIG. 7 illustrates another example of the vehicle-occupant alert systemof FIG. 1 installed on a vehicle where the driver has exited the vehicleleaving a pet in the vehicle; and

FIG. 8 is an example method of operating the example vehicle-occupantalert system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

The techniques of this disclosure relate to a vehicle-occupant alertsystem. A controller circuit receives data from in-cabin sensors thatdetect whether a driver has exited a vehicle. When the driver has exitedthe vehicle, the controller circuit determines whether a person (e.g., achild, an elderly person), a pet, or other live or perishable objectremains in the vehicle unattended. The controller circuit starts a timerwhen the driver exits the vehicle and alerts the driver to the person,pet, or other live or perishable object left behind when the timeexceeds a first threshold. If the person, pet, or other live orperishable object left behind is not retrieved after the time exceeds asecond threshold, the controller circuit increases an intensity of thealert and sends notifications to the driver and another registered userdevice via text message, email, or voice message, to draw the driver'sattention back to the vehicle. If the time that person, pet, or otherlive or perishable object remains unattended in the vehicle exceeds athird threshold, the controller circuit increases the intensity of thenotifications to the driver and other registered user device. If thenotifications go unanswered, and it is a person left behind, thecontroller circuit sends the notification to emergency medical services(EMS) to assist the person left unattended in the vehicle. Thevehicle-occupant alert system can improve passenger safety when anoccupant is left unattended in the vehicle, especially underenvironmental conditions that may be considered hazardous to a health ofthe occupant. Even if the driver has exited and is no longer inproximity to the vehicle, the described vehicle-occupant alert systemwill alert the driver to a living or perishable object that has beeninadvertently left behind before the situation turns tragic.

Example System

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a vehicle-occupant alert system 10,hereafter referred to as the system 10. The system 10 includes acontroller circuit 12 configured to receive occupant data 14 from anoccupancy-monitoring sensor 16 that detects a presence of one or moreobjects 18 inside a vehicle 20 and outputs an alert 22 based on theobjects 18, as will be described in more detail below. As used herein,the term “inside a vehicle” refers to all compartments of a vehicle,including enclosed compartments of any associated trailers. For example,while the vehicle 20 is towing an enclosed trailer, theoccupancy-monitoring sensor 16 can detect a presence of the one or moreobjects 18 if they are inside the enclosed storage area of the trailer,for example, where livestock, horses, or other animals may betransported. The driver may need to be reminded to keep the vehicle 20running even if stepping away so a climate control system or ventilationsystem of the trailer can continue to keep the one or more objects 18 ata safe temperature.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the occupancy-monitoring sensor 16is a component of an occupant classification system 17 (OCS 17)installed on the vehicle 20, which will be explained in more detailbelow. In this example, the controller circuit 12 is installed on thevehicle 20 and is communicatively coupled to the occupancy-monitoringsensor 16 via a transmission link. The transmission link can be wired orwireless interfaces, for example, BLUETOOTH®, Wi-Fi®, near fieldcommunication (NFC), universal serial bus (USB), universal asynchronousreceiver/transmitter (UART), or controller area network (CAN). In someexamples, the controller circuit 12 receives data from other vehiclesystems via a CAN bus (not shown), for example, temperature external tothe vehicle, vehicle cabin interior temperature, a door opening andclosing events, a door lock position, an ignition status, a vehiclespeed, and a transmission gear selection.

Controller Circuit

The controller circuit 12 may be implemented as a microprocessor orother control circuitry such as analog and/or digital control circuitry.The control circuitry may include one or more application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) thatare programmed to perform the techniques, or one or more general-purposehardware processors programmed to perform the techniques pursuant toprogram instructions in firmware, memory, other storage, or acombination. The controller circuit 12 may also combine customhard-wired logic, ASICs, or FPGAs with custom programming to perform thetechniques. The controller circuit 12 may include a memory or storagemedia (not shown), including non-volatile memory, such as electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) for storing one or moreroutines, thresholds, and captured data. The EEPROM stores data andallows individual bytes to be erased and reprogrammed by applyingprogramming signals. The controller circuit 12 may include otherexamples of non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, read-only memory(ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), and erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM). The controller circuit 12 may include volatilememory (e.g., dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), static random-accessmemory (SRAM)). The controller circuit 12 can include one or more clocksor timers used to synchronize the control circuitry or determine anelapsed time of events. The one or more routines may be executed by theprocessor to perform steps for determining the presence of the one ormore objects 18 inside a vehicle 20 based on signals received by thecontroller circuit 12 from the occupancy-monitoring sensor 16 asdescribed herein.

Occupancy-Monitoring Sensor

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the occupancy-monitoring sensor 16 thatis located remotely from the system 10. The occupancy-monitoring sensor16 can include one or more sensors that detect an occupancy of a seat inthe cabin of the vehicle 20 and can be components of the OCS 17installed on the vehicle 20.

The occupancy-monitoring sensor 16 can include a camera that capturesimages of the vehicle cabin, and the OCS 17 determines whether the seatis occupied by a person or an inanimate object based on the images.Software in the OCS 17 can distinguish persons from animals and objects18 using known image-analysis techniques.

The objects 18 in the images are detected in regions of interest thatcorrespond to the seating positions within the cabin, and the objects 18are classified by the software into human and other classifications.Processing blocks or models in the software are pre-trained to recognizehuman forms or shapes of other objects 18, for example, a child safetyseat, a shopping bag, a box, or an animal. The camera can be atwo-dimensional (2D) camera or a 3D time-of-flight camera that measuresa time for light pulses to leave the camera and reflect back on thecamera's imaging array. The camera can be a thermal or an infrared (IR)camera and can detect a living being or a temperature of an object basedon a thermal image captured by the IR camera.

The occupancy-monitoring sensor 16 can include a seat-pressure sensorthat detects a pressure or pressure distribution applied to the seat.The OCS 17 can determine whether an adult or the child is occupying theseat based on a pressure threshold indicative of a weight of theoccupant, and by the distribution of the pressure that can indicatewhether a child safety seat is installed. For example, if the weight ofthe occupant is greater than thirty kilograms, the OCS 17 may determinethat the passenger is considered an adult. The OCS 17 can deactivate anair bag, for example, when the child safety seat is detected or when theseat is not occupied by a person. The OCS 17 can also reduce aninflation force of the air bag based on a size and weight of theoccupant.

The occupancy-monitoring sensor 16 can include a seat-belt-latch sensorthat detects whether the seat belt is latched, and the OCS 17 candetermine whether the passenger occupying the seat requires a latchedseat belt (e.g., when the vehicle 20 is in motion). The seat-belt-latchsensor can be a reed sensor located in a latch housing that is actuatedwhen a tongue of the buckle is inserted into the latch housing. Theactuated reed sensor completes an electrical circuit that indicates tothe OCS 17 that the buckle is properly latched. The OCS 17 candetermine, based on the respective electrical circuit, which seat in thecabin corresponds to the latched or unlatched seat belt.

The occupancy-monitoring sensor 16 can include a radar sensor thatdetects a presence of objects 18 in the vehicle cabin, and the OCS 17can determine whether the seat is occupied by the person or theinanimate object based on point cloud data received from the radarsensor. The OCS 17 compares the point cloud data to models in thesoftware to determine whether the seat is occupied by the person or theinanimate object. In some examples, the radar sensor can detectrelatively small movements, for example, movements of a chest wall ofthe passenger that is breathing. The radar sensor can be used to detectthe presence of the child that may be seated in the child safety seatand covered where the camera or thermal camera may not detect the child.

The occupancy-monitoring sensor 16 can include an ultrasonic sensor (notshown) that detects the presence of objects in the vehicle cabin usingreflected sound waves. In some examples, the OCS 17 determines whetherthe seat is occupied by the object 18 by comparing a travel time or timebetween sending and receiving an echo of the sound waves to a baselinetravel time for an unoccupied seat. When the seat is occupied, thetravel time of the sound wave will be less compared to the travel timefor the unoccupied seat. In other examples, the ultrasonic sensor candetect profiles of objects 18, for example, a profile of a person, achild safety seat, or a package, and the OCS 17 can determine whetherthe seat is occupied based on the detected profile. The OCS 17 caninclude a library of profiles associated with known objects 18 forcomparison to the detected profiles.

The occupant data 14 from the OCS 17 can be periodically updated by theOCS 17 to ensure the controller circuit 12 can accurately determine anoccupancy status. For example, the OCS 17 can update the occupant data14 at thirty-second intervals to account for changes in the seatoccupancy due to passengers exiting or entering the vehicle 20.

Occupancy Status

The controller circuit 12 determines the occupancy status of the seatsin the cabin of the vehicle 20 based on the occupant data 14 receivedfrom the occupancy-monitoring sensor 16. The occupancy status can beindicative of several occupancy-status parameters that include a seatoccupancy, a seat-belt engagement, a seat-belt alignment relative to theoccupants, a child safety seat alignment relative to the seat, or anycombination thereof.

The seat-occupancy parameter indicates whether the seat is occupied orvacant and whether the seat is occupied by an adult, a child, a pet, ora package. The controller circuit 12 can determine the seat occupancybased on the occupant data 14 from one or more of the devices that areincluded in the occupancy-monitoring sensor 16. For example, the camerasor radar sensors can capture image or cloud point data of the seatlocations in the cabin, and the OCS 17 can process the data to determinewhether the seats are empty or occupied by a person or an object. Insome examples, the OCS 17 uses data from the seat-pressure sensor inaddition to the image or cloud point data to support the determinationthat the seat is occupied.

FIG. 3 illustrates the system 10 installed on the vehicle 20 from whichthe operator or driver has exited and is standing beside a left side ofthe vehicle 20. In this example, the object 18 located in a rear seat ofthe vehicle 20 is the child restrained by the child safety seat. Thecontroller circuit 12 can determine that the driver has exited thevehicle 20 based on the occupant data 14 received from the OCS 17. Forexample, the controller circuit 12 can determine that the driver's seatis unoccupied based on the in-cabin cameras and the seat-pressure sensorlocated in the driver's seat, as described above. The controller circuit12 can also determine that the driver's door has cycled open and closedbased on signals received via the CAN bus from other vehicle controllersor door latch actuators installed on the vehicle 20.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, after the driver exits the vehicle20 the controller circuit 12 sends a signal to a sounding device, forexample, a vehicle horn or other alert device 24 that is audible to thedriver external to the vehicle 20, to immediately remind the driver thatthe child remains in the vehicle 20. The signal can cause the vehiclehorn to chirp or make sounds that are different from other driverreminders, for example, the other driver reminders that may be made whenthe driver locks the doors, leaves a key fob inside the vehicle 20, orleaves the headlights illuminated. When the controller circuit 12determines that the driver has exited the vehicle 20, the controllercircuit 12 also starts the timer. The controller circuit 12 can use thedriver's door opening and closing cycling event as a trigger forstarting the timer or can use the cycling event from a last dooroperated, for example, a passenger door or a rear lift gate. Thecontroller circuit 12 can also use a door-lock actuation as the triggerfor starting the timer, for example, when the driver exits the vehicle20 and locks the doors.

The controller circuit 12 monitors the timer and determines when thechild remains inside for a time exceeding a first threshold 26. Thefirst threshold 26 can be predetermined, for example, in a range ofthirty to sixty seconds, which may be sufficient time for the driver toexit and walk to an opposite side of the vehicle 20 and open a passengerdoor to access the child. When the driver waits longer than the firstthreshold 26 to open the door for the child in the rear seat, it may bepossible that the driver has forgotten that the child is in the rearseat, and the driver may leave the vehicle 20 with the child unattendedin a potentially unsafe environment. When the controller circuit 12determines that the child remains inside for the time exceeding thefirst threshold 26, the controller circuit outputs the alert 22 to thealert device 24, thereby alerting the driver that the child remainsinside the vehicle 20.

The controller circuit 12 can receive key fob or mobile transceiverlocalization data via the CAN bus from a passive-entry passive-start(PEPS) system, a remote-keyless entry (RKE) system, or a Digital Keysystem that may be installed on the vehicle 20. The localization datacan include Received Signal Strength Indicator values (RSSI values) ofradio frequency (RF) signals detected by the key fob or mobiletransceiver. The RSSI values are a measurement of the power present inthe received RF signal. Larger RSSI values indicate stronger received RFsignals and are inversely related to a distance between the signalsource, for example, between a broadcasting antenna on the vehicle 20and the key fob. That is, the stronger the detected radio signal, theshorter the distance between the broadcasting antenna and the key fob.The controller circuit 12 can use the RSSI values as the trigger forstarting the timer based on the RSSI values. For example, when thedriver exits the vehicle 20 to service the vehicle 20 at a fillingstation, the PEPS or RKE systems determine that the key fob is externalto and within a threshold distance (e.g., two meters) from the vehicle20. The controller circuit 12 can refrain from starting the timer whilethe key fob is within the two meter distance from the vehicle 20. Whenthe key fob is determined to be farther from the vehicle 20 than thedistance threshold the controller circuit 12 can output the alert 22 tothe alert device 24, thereby alerting the driver that the child remainsinside the vehicle 20.

Alerts

The alert 22 can be audible or visible to the driver from outside thevehicle 20. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the alert 22 includesrepeatedly sounding the vehicle horn and repeatedly flashing theexterior lights of the vehicle 20 (e.g., headlights, taillights,sidelights, turn signals, and courtesy lights). The audible alert 22 caninclude sounding the horn at regular intervals, for example, atfive-second intervals, to draw the driver's attention back to thevehicle 20 when the driver is moving away from the vehicle 20. Thevisual alert 22 can include flashing the vehicle's exterior lights atregular intervals, for example, at one-second intervals, to also drawthe driver's attention back to the vehicle 20 in the event the driverdoes not respond to the audible alert 22. The controller circuit 12continues to output the alert 22 until the driver opens the vehicle doorto retrieve the child, thereby canceling the alert, or until the timeexceeds a second threshold 28.

The controller circuit 12 can increase an intensity of the output of thealert 22 when the time exceeds the second threshold 28 of, for example,in the range of sixty to ninety seconds. When the driver waits longerthan the second threshold 28 to open the door for the child in the rearseat, it may be possible that the driver has moved farther away from thevehicle 20, thereby increasing the possibility that the driver hasforgotten that the child in the vehicle 20. The controller circuit 12can increase an intensity of the output of the audible alert 22 bysounding the horn at, for example, two-second intervals and increasing avolume of the horn soundings. The controller circuit 12 can increase theintensity of the output of the visible alert 22 by flashing thevehicle's 20 exterior lights at, for example, one-half-second intervals,thereby creating a strobe effect that can draw the driver's attentionback to the vehicle 20 in the event the driver does not respond to theaudible alert 22.

Notifications

FIG. 4 illustrates a scenario where the driver has moved away from thevehicle 20 and may be unable to hear or see the audible or visual alerts22 that have been increased in their intensity. The controller circuit12 can output a notification 30 that the child remains inside thevehicle when the time exceeds the second threshold 28. The notification30 can be output to a registered receiver device via one or more of anemail, text message, and voice notification through a transceiver (notshown) that may be a component of the infotainment system of the vehicle20. The registered receiver device can include a first device 32associated with the driver, for example, a mobile phone, a satellitephone, or a tablet. The registered receiver device can also include anda second device 34 (e.g., a second mobile phone) different from thefirst device 32 that is associated with at least one user other than thedriver, for example, a caregiver or another family member who may beable to act upon the notification 30. The notification 30 can include aprepared message instructing the driver to return to the vehicle 20, orcan provide additional details, for example, stating that the child orother objects 18 determined by the controller circuit 12 remain in theunattended vehicle 20.

The controller circuit 12 can increase the frequency of subsequentoutputs of the notification 30 when the time exceeds a third threshold36, for example, in the range of 120 to 180 seconds. The controllercircuit 12 can send subsequent text messages and phone calls to thedriver's mobile device at regular intervals (e.g., every sixty seconds)and can send repeated emails to the driver's email address of recorduntil the driver responds to the notification 30 or returns to thevehicle 20 to retrieve the child. The notifications can prompt thedriver or other person having the second device 34 to acknowledge thenotification by sending a reply via text, email, or voice call.

In the event that the driver or other registered device user does notrespond to the repeated notifications, the controller circuit 12 canoutput the notification 30 to emergency medical services 38 (EMS 38).For example, the controller circuit 12 may notify EMS 38 after threeattempts to reach the driver or other person. The controller circuit 12can send a prepared voice or text message to the EMS 38 by dialing auniversal emergency number (e.g., “911” in the United States, “112” inthe European Union countries, and “999” in the United Kingdom) statingthat the child is left unattended in the vehicle 20 and provide locationinformation that may be available via the CAN bus from a globalnavigation satellite system (GNSS) that may be a component of thevehicle's 20 navigation or infotainment system. The controller circuit12 can port the emergency call to the infotainment system installed onthe vehicle 20 to enable a voice conversation between an EMS dispatcherand the child that can provide the dispatcher with information relatedto the child's wellbeing until the EMS vehicle arrives at the vehicle20.

Table 1 below lists examples of the threshold times and example actionsthat the controller circuit 12 can initiate after the driver has exitedthe vehicle 20.

TABLE 1 EXAMPLE THRESHOLD TIMES AND ACTIONS THRESHOLD TIME (SECONDS)ACTION FIRST 30-60 ALERT WITH HORN SOUNDINGS OR FLASHING LIGHTS SECOND60-90 INCREASE FREQUENCY OF HORN SOUNDINGS OR FLASHING LIGHTS AND SENDVOICE, TEXT, EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS TO REGISTERED DEVICES THIRD 120-180INCREASE FREQUENCY OF VOICE, TEXT, EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS TO REGISTEREDDEVICES AND SEND NOTIFICATIONS TO EMS

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example logic flow 100performed by the controller circuit 12. The logic flow starts at 102with detecting the vehicle occupants upon a triggering event and ends at126 with notifying the EMS 38.

In this example, at 102, upon the doors or door locks being cycled, thecontroller circuit 12 determines the occupants remaining in the vehicle20. At 104, the controller circuit 12 determines whether the driver hasexited the vehicle 20 based on the occupant data 14 from the OCS 17. Ifthe driver has not exited the vehicle 20, the system 10 continues tomonitor the occupant status. If the driver has exited the vehicle 20, at106, the controller circuit 12 determines whether the child remains inthe vehicle 20.

If the child remains in the vehicle 20, at 108, the controller circuit12 chirps the horn to remind the driver of the child's presence andstarts the timer. At 110, the controller circuit 12 determines whetherthe elapsed time since the driver exited the vehicle 20 is greater thanthe first threshold 26, and if so, at 112, outputs the alert 22 to thealert devices. At 114, the controller circuit 12 determines whether theelapsed time since the driver exited the vehicle 20 is greater than thesecond threshold 28, and if so, and 216, increases the intensity of thealert 22. At 118, the controller circuit 12 outputs the notifications 30to the first device 32 and second device 34 (e.g., the driver's mobilephone and another family member's mobile phone).

At 120, the controller circuit 12 determines whether the elapsed timesince the driver exited the vehicle 20 is greater than the thirdthreshold 36, and if so, at 122 increases the frequency of thenotifications 30. At 124, the controller circuit 12 determines whetherthe notifications are acknowledged, and if not, at 126, outputs thenotification 30 to the EMS 38.

Thresholds

The first threshold 26 can be based on an ambient temperature externalto the vehicle 20 that can be received by the controller circuit 12 viathe CAN bus from the heating-ventilation-and-air-conditioning (HVAC)system of the vehicle 20. The controller circuit 12 can adjust the firstthreshold 26 to shorter times when the ambient or outside temperature isin a range that is considered harmful to people and animals. Forexample, when the outside temperature is below freezing or greater thanthirty-five Celsius (35° C.), the controller circuit 12 can reduce thefirst threshold to ten seconds. The shortened first threshold 26 caninhibit the driver from moving farther away from the vehicle 20 when theenvironmental conditions may be considered hazardous, thereby reducingthe need for an escalation in the alerts and notifications.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example of the system 10 installed on thevehicle 20 where the driver has exited the vehicle 20, and a bag ofgroceries remains on the rear seat. The first threshold 26 can be basedon a temperature of the one or more objects 18 remaining inside thevehicle 20 that are detected by the thermal camera of theoccupancy-monitoring sensor 16, as described above. For example, thethermal camera can detect the temperature of an item in the grocery bag,and the controller circuit can determine whether the item is a frozenfood (e.g., ice cream, frozen vegetables, ice) or hot food (e.g., pizza,carry-out food, prepared dinners from a grocery store). The controllercircuit 12 can reduce the first threshold 26 to a shorter time to remindthe driver that the hot or cold food remains in the vehicle 20 so thatthe food does not spoil or melt if forgotten by the driver. However, thehot or cold items need not be food-related. For example, the cold itemscan be medicines or biological items that may be perishable if thepackage is stored in a hot or cold vehicle for an extended period oftime. The controller circuit 12 can also reduce the second and thirdthresholds based on the temperature of the objects 18 and can elect notto output the notifications 30 to the EMS 38 when the controller circuit12 determines that objects 18 are not persons or animals.

The first threshold 26 can be based on a life form of the objects 18remaining inside the vehicle. FIG. 7 illustrates another example of thesystem 10 installed on the vehicle 20 where the driver has exited, andan animal (e.g., a dog) remains on the rear seat. The controller circuit12 can determine whether the object 18 is a person or an animal and candetermine an animal species (e.g., dogs, birds, turtles, snakes) basedon the occupant data 14 received from the OCS 17. When the controllercircuit 12 determines that the life form is the animal other than theperson, the controller circuit 12 can adjust the first threshold isbased on the species of the animal remaining inside the vehicle 20. Forexample, when the animal is the dog, the controller circuit 12 canreduce the first threshold 26, and when the animal is a species that maynot be susceptible to heat- or cold-related injuries, the controllercircuit 12 can increase the first threshold 26.

When the controller circuit 12 determines that the life form is theperson, the controller circuit 12 can adjust the first threshold 26based on an age or age category of the person. For example, thecontroller circuit 12 can determine the age category of the person(i.e., whether the person is a child or an elderly or geriatric person)based on the classification performed by the software in the OCS 17. Theclassification models can determine features of the person that arecharacteristic of a child or elderly person, for example, a size of theperson and facial features that correspond to trained models of elderlyfacial features and youthful facial features. The trained models neednot determine a specific age of the occupant, only the age category ofchild or elderly person. The age thresholds for the age categories canbe adjusted by the training data according to the user preferences. Thecontroller circuit 12 can reduce the first threshold 26 when the personis determined to be the child or elderly person, as these segments ofthe population are most vulnerable to heat- and cold-related injuries ordeath.

Example Method

FIG. 8 illustrates example methods 200 performed by the system 10. Forexample, the controller circuit 12 configures the system 10 to performoperations 202 through 210 by executing instructions associated with thecontroller circuit 12. The operations (or steps) 202 through 210 areperformed but not necessarily limited to the order or combinations inwhich the operations are shown herein. Further, any of one or more ofthe operations may be repeated, combined, or reorganized to provideother operations.

Step 202 includes RECEIVE OCCUPANT DATA. This can include receiving,with the controller circuit 12, the occupant data 14 from theoccupancy-monitoring sensor 16 that detects the presence of objects 18inside the vehicle 20. The occupancy-monitoring sensor 16 can be acomponent of the OCS 17, as described above. The objects 18 can includepeople, animals, and packages that are detected by different devicesthat comprise the occupancy-monitoring sensor 16, including 2D and 3Dcameras, thermal cameras, seat-pressure sensors, seat-belt-latchsensors, and radar sensors, as described above. The OCS 17 processes thedata from the cameras, radar sensors, or the seat-pressure sensors todetermine whether the seats are empty or occupied. The occupancy statusindicates several occupancy-status parameters that specify whether theseat is occupied or vacant, and whether the seat is occupied by theadult, the child, the pet, or the package, as described above. Theoccupant data 14 from the OCS 17 is periodically updated and transmittedto the controller circuit 12 via transmission links to account forchanges in the seat occupancy.

Step 204 includes DETERMINE OPERATOR EXIT. This can include determining,with the controller circuit 12, whether the driver has exited thevehicle 20 based on the occupant data 14, as described above. Thecontroller circuit 12 determines that the driver's seat is unoccupiedbased on the in-cabin cameras and the seat-pressure sensor located inthe driver's seat. The controller circuit 12 can also determine that thedriver's door has cycled open and closed and that the door locks havebeen actuated based on signals received via the CAN bus, as describedabove. The door or lock cycling events can be used by the controllercircuit 12 to trigger the timer to determine the time elapsed after thedriver exits the vehicle 20, as described above.

Step 206 includes DETERMINE OBJECTS REMAINING IN VEHICLE. This caninclude determining, with the controller circuit 12, whether the child,animal, or other objects 18 remain in the vehicle 20 after the driverhas exited, as described above. The OCS 17 can determine whether anadult or the child is occupying the seat based on a pressure thresholdindicative of a weight of the occupant, and by the distribution of thepressure that can indicate whether a child safety seat is installed. Thecontroller circuit 12 can determine whether the person is the child orthe elderly person based on the classification performed by the softwarein the OCS 17, as described above. Software in the OCS 17 candistinguish persons from animals and objects 18 using knownimage-analysis techniques. The controller circuit 12 can determinewhether the object 18 is hot or cold based on the data from the thermalcamera.

Step 208 includes OUTPUT ALERT. This can include alerting, with thecontroller circuit 12, the driver that the child or other object 18remains inside the vehicle 20 after the driver has exited. The alert 22can be audible or visual to the driver outside of the vehicle 20, asdescribed above. The controller circuit 12 starts the timer when thedriver exits the vehicle 20 and determines when the child remains insidefor the time exceeding the first threshold 26. When the driver waitslonger than the first threshold 26 to open the door for the child, thecontroller circuit 12 outputs the alert 22 to the alert device 24,alerting the driver that the child remains inside the vehicle 20. Thealert 22 includes repeatedly sounding the vehicle horn or repeatedlyflashing the exterior lights of the vehicle 20 at regular intervals, asdescribed above. The controller circuit 12 can increase the intensity ofthe output of the alert 22 when the time exceeds the second threshold 28by sounding the horn and flashing the vehicle's 20 exterior lights atshorter intervals to draw the driver's attention back to the vehicle 20,as described above.

Step 210 includes OUTPUT NOTIFICATION. This can include notifying, withthe controller circuit 12, the driver and another person different fromthe driver that the child remains in the vehicle 20 when the timeexceeds the second threshold 28, as described above. The notification 30can be output to the registered receiver devices via email, textmessage, and voice notification. The notification 30 can include theprepared message instructing the driver to return to the vehicle 20, orcan provide additional details, for example, stating that the child (orother objects 18) remain in the unattended vehicle 20. The controllercircuit 12 can increase the frequency of subsequent outputs of thenotification 30 when the time exceeds the third threshold 36 and canoutput the notification 30 to the EMS 38 when the driver or other personfails to respond to the notifications 30, as described above.

EXAMPLES

In the following section, examples are provided.

Example 1. A system, comprising: a controller circuit configured to:receive occupant data from an occupancy-monitoring sensor configured todetect a presence of one or more objects 18 inside a vehicle; determinewhether an operator of the vehicle has exited the vehicle based on theoccupant data; determine based on the occupant data that the one or moreobjects 18 remain inside the vehicle for a time exceeding a firstthreshold after the operator has exited; and output an alert indicatingthe one or more objects remain inside the vehicle when the time exceedsthe first threshold.

Example 2. The system of the previous example, wherein the alert isaudible or visible from outside the vehicle.

Example 3. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein thecontroller circuit is further configured to determine an ambienttemperature external to the vehicle and the first threshold is based onthe ambient temperature.

Example 4. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein theoccupancy-monitoring sensor comprises a thermal camera and the firstthreshold is based on a temperature of the one or more objects remaininginside the vehicle detected by the thermal camera.

Example 5. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein thecontroller circuit is further configured to determine a life form of theone or more objects and the first threshold is based on the life form ofthe one or more objects remaining inside the vehicle.

Example 6. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein the lifeform includes a person and the first threshold is based on an age of oneor more people remaining inside the vehicle.

Example 7. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein the lifeform includes an animal other than a person, and the first threshold isbased on a species of one or more animals remaining inside the vehicle.

Example 8. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein theoccupancy-monitoring sensor comprises one or more of a camera, aseat-pressure sensor, a seat-belt-latch sensor, and a radar sensor.

Example 9. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein thecontroller circuit is further configured to increase an intensity of theoutput of the alert when the time exceeds a second threshold.

Example 10. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein thecontroller circuit is further configured to output a notification thatthe one or more objects remain inside the vehicle, the notificationbeing output to a registered receiver device via one or more of anemail, text message, and voice notification.

Example 11. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein theregistered receiver device includes one or more of a first deviceassociated with the operator and a second device different from thefirst device that is associated with at least one user other than theoperator.

Example 12. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein thecontroller circuit is further configured to output the notification whenthe time exceeds a second threshold.

Example 13. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein thecontroller circuit is further configured to increase a frequency ofsubsequent outputs of the notification when the time exceeds a thirdthreshold.

Example 14. The system of any of the previous examples, wherein thecontroller circuit is further configured to output the notification toan emergency medical services (EMS) when the subsequent outputs of thenotifications are unanswered.

Example 15. A method, comprising: receiving, with a controller circuit,occupant data from an occupancy-monitoring sensor configured to detect apresence of one or more objects inside a vehicle; determining, with thecontroller circuit, whether an operator of the vehicle has exited thevehicle based on the occupant data; determining based on the occupantdata, with the controller circuit, that the one or more objects remaininside the vehicle for a time exceeding a first threshold after theoperator has exited; and outputting an alert, with the controllercircuit, indicating the one or more objects remain inside the vehiclewhen the time exceeds the first threshold.

Example 16. The method of the previous example, including outputting thealert that is audible or visible from outside the vehicle.

Example 17. The method of any of the previous examples, includingincreasing an intensity of the output of the alert, with the controllercircuit, when the time exceeds a second threshold.

Example 18. The method of any of the previous examples, includingoutputting a notification when the time exceeds a second threshold, withthe controller circuit, that the one or more objects remain inside thevehicle, the notification being output to a registered receiver devicevia one or more of an email, text message, and voice notification.

Example 19. The method of any of the previous examples, wherein theregistered receiver device includes one or more of a first deviceassociated with the operator and a second device different from thefirst device that is associated with at least one user other than theoperator.

Example 20. The method of any of the previous examples, includingincreasing a frequency of subsequent outputs of the notification, withthe controller circuit, when the time exceeds a third threshold, andoutputting the notification to an emergency medical services (EMS) whenthe subsequent outputs of the notifications are unanswered.

CONCLUSION

While various embodiments of the disclosure are described in theforegoing description and shown in the drawings, it is to be understoodthat this disclosure is not limited thereto but may be variouslyembodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From theforegoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure asdefined by the following claims.

The use of “or” and grammatically related terms indicates non-exclusivealternatives without limitation unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” alist of items refers to any combination of those items, including singlemembers. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended tocover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination withmultiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b,a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b,and c).

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a controller circuitconfigured to: receive occupant data, including radar data, from anoccupancy-monitoring sensor configured to detect a presence of at leastone object inside a vehicle; determine whether an operator of thevehicle has exited the vehicle based on the occupant data; responsive todetecting a presence of the at least one object inside the vehicle,determine, based at least in part on the radar data, a classification ofthe at least one object; responsive to determining the classification ofthe at least one object, determine, based on the occupant data, that theat least one object remains inside the vehicle for a time exceeding afirst threshold since the operator has exited the vehicle, the firstthreshold determined based in part on the classification of the at leastone object; and output an alert indicating that the at least one objectremains inside the vehicle when the time exceeds the first threshold. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is furtherconfigured to determine the classification of the at least one objectby: inputting, to a trained machine learning model, the radar data aloneor in combination with non-radar sensor data to determine whether theobject is living or non-living.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein thecontroller circuit is further configured to determine the classificationof the at least one object by: responsive to determining that the objectis living, determining an age class or a species class of the object. 4.The system of claim 2, wherein the controller circuit is furtherconfigured to determine the classification of the at least one objectby: responsive to determining that the object is non-living, determiningwhether the object is a perishable object.
 5. The system of claim 4,wherein the perishable object comprises at least one of: food; ormedicine.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit isfurther configured to output a notification that the at least one objectremains inside the vehicle, the notification being output to aregistered receiver device via one or more of an email, text message,and voice notification.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the registeredreceiver device includes one or more of a first device associated withthe operator and a second device different from the first device that isassociated with at least one user other than the operator.
 8. The systemof claim 6, wherein the controller circuit is further configured tooutput the notification when the time exceeds a second threshold.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the controller circuit is further configuredto increase a frequency of subsequent outputs of the notification whenthe time exceeds a third threshold.
 10. The system of claim 6, whereinthe controller circuit is further configured to output, based ondetermining that the at least one object is living, the notification toan emergency medical service (EMS) when the subsequent outputs of thenotifications are unanswered.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein thealert is audible or visible from outside the vehicle.
 12. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the occupancy-monitoring sensor comprises a thermalcamera and the first threshold is based on a temperature of the one ormore objects remaining inside the vehicle detected by the thermalcamera.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the occupancy-monitoringsensor comprises one or more of a camera, a seat-pressure sensor, aseat-belt-latch sensor, and a radar sensor.
 14. A method comprising:receiving occupant data, including radar data, from anoccupancy-monitoring sensor configured to detect a presence of at leastone object inside a vehicle; determining whether an operator of thevehicle has exited the vehicle based on the occupant data; responsive todetecting a presence of the at least one object inside the vehicle,determining, based at least in part on the radar data, a classificationof the at least one object; responsive to determining the classificationof the at least one object, determine, based on the occupant data, thatthe at least one object remains inside the vehicle for a time exceedinga first threshold since the operator has exited the vehicle, the firstthreshold determined based in part on the classification of the at leastone object; and output an alert indicating that the at least one objectremains inside the vehicle when the time exceeds the first threshold.15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the classification ofthe at least one object comprises: inputting, to a trained machinelearning model, the radar data alone or in combination with non-radarsensor data to determine whether the object is living or non-living. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein determining the classification of the atleast one object comprises: responsive to determining that the object isliving, determining an age class or a species class of the object. 17.The method of claim 15, wherein determining the classification of the atleast one object comprises: responsive to determining that the object isnon-living, determining whether the object is a perishable object.
 18. Acomputer-readable storage media comprising instructions that, whenexecuted, configure at least one processor to: receive occupant data,including radar data, from an occupancy-monitoring sensor configured todetect a presence of at least one object inside a vehicle; determinewhether an operator of the vehicle has exited the vehicle based on theoccupant data; responsive to detecting a presence of the at least oneobject inside the vehicle, determine, based at least in part on theradar data, a classification of the at least one object; responsive todetermining the classification of the at least one object, determine,based on the occupant data, that the at least one object remains insidethe vehicle for a time exceeding a first threshold since the operatorhas exited the vehicle, the first threshold determined based in part onthe classification of the at least one object; and output an alertindicating that the at least one object remains inside the vehicle whenthe time exceeds the first threshold.
 19. The computer-readable storagemedia of claim 18, wherein the instructions further configure the atleast one processor to determine the classification of the at least oneobject by: inputting, to a trained machine learning model, the radardata alone or in combination with non-radar sensor data to determinewhether the object is living or non-living.
 20. The computer-readablestorage media of claim 19, wherein the instructions further configurethe at least one processor to determine the classification of the atleast one object by: responsive to determining that the object isliving, determining an age class or a species class of the object; andresponsive to determining that the object is non-living, determiningwhether the object is a perishable object.